Chapter 1129: Chapter 174: Crisis in Han Yue City

“General Lu, you need not be so…”

Jing Xuan waved his hand, signaling the old general below to rise.

This man, named Lu Cheng, was the current Great General, and also the person Jing Xuan trusted the most.

No matter who undertakes this task, it would bring trouble, laboring in vain with no reward, and result in a terrible end.

Setting aside the safety concerns of confronting the cultivators, even the most basic action of silencing would leave this person notorious through history.

General Lu’s desire to personally take action shows his loyalty to the Royal Family.

“Your Majesty!”

Lu Cheng suddenly shouted, falling to his knees with a thud.

“The situation with the cultivators in Han Yue City is urgent, we can wait no longer!”

“This old servant has reviewed the reports from the front. Although our army is locked in a stalemate and the city remains unconquered, facing floods and plagues, we’ve not truly suffered losses!”

“Even though the demon beasts in the city kill, the casualties are merely a few hundred, insignificant compared to our four hundred thousand strong army!”

With his hands clasped, head lowered, he quickly voiced his intentions.

“And as for the cultivator in the city, in this old servant’s view, his mana is limited, and summoning a heavy rain to form a formation is already his limit!”

“We must seize this opportunity to muster our strength and capture Han Yue City in one go!”

“If we wait for that cultivator to enhance his mana, I fear many more warriors will be sacrificed!”

Lu Cheng suddenly lifted his head, eyes full of resolution.

“I ask Your Majesty to permit this old servant to lead the East and West Yue armies to support…”

“With then a total of eight hundred thousand elite soldiers gathered, and this old servant overseeing, our morale will be greatly boosted, certainly enough to break through the devil’s defenses and capture him!”

“Please grant Your Majesty’s permission!”

“…”

With the old general’s plan laid out, a silence fell over the Golden Book Pavilion.

The other ministers could not interject and could only anxiously await the Emperor’s conclusion.

“Alas… if it is so…”

After a long while, a sigh was heard.

Soon after, Jing Xuan’s voice, full of authority and resolve, resounded in everyone’s ears.

“Lu Cheng, heed the decree! I order you to immediately lead the East and West Yue armies to march, head to Han Yue City, and eradicate the demon path and evil cultivators, restoring peace to the Mortal World!”

“Moreover, this expedition is exceptionally perilous. I also wish for you to take 108 top experts from the palace with you, as they may aid in capturing that devil!”

With Jing Xuan’s words falling, the scribe eunuch beside immediately recorded the imperial order on paper and carefully handed it to Lu Cheng.

“This old servant accepts the decree!”

General Lu accepted the imperial decree, his resounding voice moving everyone’s hearts.

Thus, a new plan targeting Han Yue City was set in motion.

The reinforcements would reach their destination at the fastest speed and unite with the earlier army within seven days to launch a full-scale attack.

In their view, cultivators hadn’t appeared in three hundred years, though the reason was unclear, this sudden presence might mean some have inherited and learned something.

Now, they must be eliminated before they truly develop.

Otherwise, once their cultivation breaks through to a higher stage, they would no longer be a match for mere mortals like them.

By then, a disaster akin to that caused by immortals might unfold, and the world would plunge back into an era of external control.

In a way, their conjecture wasn’t entirely wrong.

To ordinary people, cultivators indeed possess formidable strength, nearly undefeatable.

Being able to eliminate potential threats in advance to avoid such situations, even at the cost of sacrifice, is considered worthwhile.

However, what they did not realize was that the truth of the matter was far more complex than they imagined.

The world had already entered the phase of Spiritual Energy Recovery, where these so-called immortals and demon beasts would become more common.

Meanwhile, the cultivator Guo Cheng deemed at his wit’s end was contemplating related matters.

This so-called cultivator was, of course, the Awakener from the Star Alliance, the Great Elder of the Tianyuan Sect, Master Liu.

Seven days later, at Bai Han Building, inside the City Lord Mansion.

This place was the center of Han Yue City, also the current core of the City Protection Formation.

Since the incident of the Heavenly Blood Worm last time, the City Lord Mansion inside and outside was ravaged by a Blood Sea, with withered plants and destroyed buildings, forming a wasteland.

After days of repairs, though the surrounding environment hadn’t fully recovered, it was no longer unsightly.

Due to its location and the underground Spirit Vein, Pei Laoliu set up a City Protection Formation here, enveloping the entire Han Yue City.

It was because of this formation that the court’s troops outside couldn’t break through.

They could only surround the city, engaging in a war of attrition.

Faced with such a situation, Master Liu felt quite helpless.

For the first time in his life, he witnessed an army of tens of thousands with his own eyes.

Being surrounded by a military force of this scale exerted significant pressure.

Even as a cultivator in the Heart Movement Stage, Pei Laoliu couldn’t guarantee he could handle this four hundred thousand-strong army.

If true combat ensued, he could easily kill hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands.

But four hundred thousand was simply too many.

Even if forty thousand pigs were placed in front of him to slaughter, they wouldn’t be so easily slain.

Moreover, there’s also the immense psychological pressure involved.